Monthly Archives: June 2015

(CNN)-Making it big in basketball had long been a dearly held dream for Satnam Singh.

Making it happen was another matter.

Growing up in a remote village in India’s Punjab province, he was destined to become a farmer — like his father and his father’s father.

But that’s the thing about dreams. With hard work — and, in Singh’s case, a ginormous frame — they sometimes come true.

On Thursday, he became the first basketball player from India to be drafted by an NBA team.

The Dallas Mavericks selected the 7-foot-2-inch, 19-year-old with the 52nd pick in the draft.

He’s not expected to make the team right away, but rather will put in time at the Development League level.

But his arrival is a big moment for India.

For the moment, Singh is little known in his homeland, where cricket is by far the biggest sport and few follow the American National Basketball Association.

But success in the United States could change that — in the same way China’s Yao Ming galvanized interest in basketball in his country.

That’s certainly what the Mavs are counting on.

“We certainly created a legend,” owner Mark Cuban said. “There’s a billion new Mavs fans out there right now.”

Spotting potential

The village of Billoke is a tiny one in the proud state of Punjab, home of turbaned Sikh men and Bhangra music.

Singh’s father, Balbir Singh, works the flour mills and raises dairy cows, just like many of the men in the village of 3,000.

But one thing set Balbir Singh apart: In a land where the average man is 5 feet 4 inches, he towered over others by a full two feet.

It’s a genetic trait that even Satnam Singh, even at a young age, was exhibiting.

An eagle-eyed sports enthusiast recognized the potential in his friend’s 9 -year-old son, who was already 5 feet 9 inches by then.

“I can make out from his height that he could become a good player,” Rajinder Singh told CNN in 2012. “I took him to the ground to practice. Day by day he excelled and touched greater heights.”

Coming to America

Soon after, he arrived in the United States to train at a basketball academy. He was separated from his parents by more than 8,000 miles, connected to them only through Skype. He missed home, he said. And he missed the food.

But he had one dream, and knew that if he practiced hard and put his heart into it, it could be his.

“I wish to become the greatest player in the world,” he told CNN. “I want to uphold the honor of India, the USA and of my coach and make basketball a prominent sport in India.”

There is an entire day during a festival in Nepal dedicated solely to thanking dogs for their loyalty and friendship. The time itself is called “Diwali” celebrated by Hindus, and is a ‘festival of lights’ celebrated by millions every year in the fall, in india, nepal and elsewhere.

Specific to Nepal, there is a day during this celebration dedicated to all the Dogs, called Kukur Tihar, specifically to thank our 4-legged companions for always being our loyal friends.

Image source: imgur

Tihar is a five day Hindu festival, but the second day is reserved for our loyal companions.

It is called Kukur Tihar or Kukur Puja (worship of the dogs).

Image source: Imgur

People offer garlands, tika (a mark worn on the forehead), and delicious food to dogs, and acknowledge the cherished relationship between humans and dogs.

The garlands are a sign of respect for the animals.

Because dogs are the best people.

Image source: imgur.comInage source: imgur

The images honoring these animals are truly breathtaking.

Image source

The thought of this beautiful festival is lightening the heavy hearts of dog lovers everywhere, amid horrendous news bites from another kind of festival in Yulin, China, recently.

With red powder, the dogs are marked on their foreheads as a sign of sacredness.

Like this:

This book is highly spiritually stimulating. A must read for all spiritual seekers. I know that people have differing opinions on the political methods applied by Gandhi ji but surprisingly I found this book to be more about spirituality than anything else. Seriously, I rate this book second only to the Bhagavad Gita in my quest towards spirituality (of all the books I have read till now). After reading this book you will come to know that the depth of thinking of Gandhiji is beyond comparison.

The Mizo Militancy in the 1960s made the Indian government and the Indian Army realize that soldiers should be trained for extreme jungle warfare. Hence, the Counter-insurgency and Jungle Warfare School was established. It’s a pity, however, that most Indians don’t know about its existence, let alone knowing why it’s the best in the world. Here’s everything you need to know about the best all-terrain warfare prep academy in the world.

1) Originally setup as the Jungle Warfare School in 1967 under the guidance of the legendary Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, the academy was renamed as Eastern Command Counter Insurgency Training School in 1968.

2) It was only in 1970 that CIJW was permanently relocated to Variegate, Mizoram, and named Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School. It hasn’t been moved since.

3) The troops are trained to live in war-like difficult conditions and hostile terrain, eat and sleep like the guerrillas, and even attack as ferociously and silently as them.

4) Primarily trained in counter-ambush skills, the soldiers are taught field craft and jungle craft to remain as undetected as possible in the forests. Jungle craft is infamous for testing the limits of the soldiers.

5) The soldiers are made to study the jungle in its most natural state analysing its characteristics such as dense vegetation with limited visibility, heavy cross compartmentalization, streams, rivers, heat & humidity, and other aspects such as difficult tracks and limited communication.

6) Over 7000 soldiers from para military forces, police services and international armies are trained every year.

8) Not only is the physical and tactical aspect looked upon closely, soldiers are also trained in overall war IQ development with the help of group discussions, case studies and sand model exercises.

9) The school also excels in soldier behavioral research that is said to be the best in the world here. It also boasts of the best war training facilities with 13 fire ranges and competent instructors who are war veterans.

10) Being the best in the world, the academy regularly receives armies from United States, Singapore, Nepal, Bhutan, Russia, United Kingdom, Israel, France and Bangladesh who come over for training.

UPSC-2013 AIR-1 Gaurav Agrawal(IAS): Khelo India

Hello guys! I wrote a draft policy discussion paper on the impact of forthcoming technologies like robotics and artificial intelligence on the economy. Please read it at your leisure. Any critical comments are more than welcome so that I can make incorporate them and make it better. The questions addressed are: will the upcoming industrial […]

#ViewsArePersonal Recently the government announced recapitalisation of the public sector banks to the tune of over 1.5 lakh crores in the largest ever such exercise. Predictably it has come under lot of criticism. In the article here published in Swarajya, we try to analyse the issue based on economic logic.

Addressing some criticisms on India’s recent jump in the Ease of Doing Business Index India recently jumped 30 spots in a rare performance in the Ease of Doing Business index. Since then there have been many articles belittling or criticizing this jump. In my article here on Opinion Central, I have tried to address some […]

Topic: Philosophical and Constitutional framework of government: Salient features and value premises; Constitutionalism Question “The liberal-democratic ideology of the West influenced the shaping of value premises of the Indian Constitution.” Discuss. [250 Words/CSM 2013] Next Topic Philosophical and Constitutional framework of government: Salient features and value premises; Constitutionalism

ARCHIVES 31 May 2014 Answer ALL the following questions in about 200 words 1. “When it comes to economic matters, the government is an enabler and facilitator. Its primary job is to develop and maintain a system in which people – the rich and the poor – can take steps by themselves to better their […]